Storm surge climatology: England – East

Tide gauges on the east coast of England stretch from North Shields on the north east coast down to Sheerness on the Kent coast. In 1953 there was a large coastal flooding event across the east of England which prompted the installation of the tide gauges around the UK. Communities along the North Sea coast were greatly affected as a result of the surge, which locally exceeded 5.6 m above mean sea level, a surge of around 2–3 m above high water. The tide gauge at Sheerness is used in the protection of the London metropolitan area from tidal surges. With London's vast economic importance to the UK and the world, the Sheerness tide gauge is crucial for predicting surge events.

More recently on 5 December 2013 a storm funnelled down the North Sea producing a surge. This surge coincided with high spring tides in the region. The tide gauge at Lowestoft recorded a surge of 2 m above the predicted high water (shown left). On this occasion the winds were coming from the north west so the surge was moving along shore. During the 1953 event the winds had more of an onshore orientation, coming from a more north easterly direction. This would have driven more water towards the coast creating a surge of greater magnitude.